Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board Closely Monitors Border Checkpoints

 

A Thai soldier walks past a Burmese migrant at Thai, Myanmar Border

 

CHIANG RAI – Authorities of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) are closely monitoring all the 93 border checkpoints following intelligence reports that drug traffickers may smuggle drug into Thailand during the New Year’s holidays, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported ONCB secretary-general Police, Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen as saying.

He said ONCB and other concerned government agencies have been monitoring checkpoints bordering Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia since Dec 25 and that monitoring will continue until mid January.

According to ONCB secretary-general, the reports showed that drug traffickers usually smuggle narcotics during the festivities into Bangkok and outlying areas and later sell to minor traffickers hiding in communities.

The anti-drug officials have set up more road checkpoints on 34 locations in Thailand, Pongsapat said.

He added that ONCB also exchanges information with its counterparts in neighbouring countries in order to effectively suppress drug smuggling during the New Year holidays.